I have never been a fan of eggless cakes…they always tend to be hard, dry and just not quite ‘quite’. The last one I tasted was at a birthday party. I was given the largest slice – I suppose my greedy reputation does follow me around but in this instance, it worked against me. The cake was horribly bitter and I had to eat all of it as I was being eyed out closely. I decided to swear off eggless cakes. My troubles with eggless baking were just beginning….

Some months passed and there have been the Facebookers that request eggless recipes. I gave it a bash again and it was a disaster. The Red Velvet Cake looked like melted plastic and it was as hard as a rock. My kids were most amused and so was Rob. I instructed my assistant to ‘chuck out’ the cake and not to mention it again. I skulked off and sulked in my room for the rest of the day. I came out a few hours later when the giggles subsided.

I started working on a Diwali Show for Saffron TV. Unfortunately, the channel closes in a few days so the Diwali show will not be airing. I will share my eggless experiments with you anyway! In the first season of ‘Sugar ‘n Spice’, the eggless brownies (https://yudhikayumyum.com/sugar-n-spice-on-saffron-tv/saffron-tv-eggless-chocolate-brownies/) received a heartwarmingly positive review…One of the best recipes so far was the Eggless Lemon Coconut Cakes….I have never been a fan of faking anything…but these luscious cakes know just how to fake it. They are simply delicious….light and fluffy with the perfect crumb, smothered in a delicious light and fluffy lemon frosting! Hallelujah…I think these cakes are going to save my reputation after my previous mishaps!

Perfecting these cupcakes has been an adventure! I watched this evening as Rob tucked into one…I am so so pleased with the results…its been a long road…buttermilk versus milk, baking powder versus bicarb….vinegar or not? The options were endless…it resulted in milk, baking powder AND bicarb without any vinegar! I think that adding the yoghurt, adds a lot of magic to this recipe. You should try this out not because of its status…try it because it is just so good.

A word on the ingredients…I love the Spar packaging and buy the sugar etc in these cartons – I have been training my kids in the kitchen and this really minimizes the mess while measuring out the ingredients. The lid on top of the packaging makes sealing the sugar a breeze so no more ants in the sugar! Another product that I really love is the Spar branded Greek Yoghurt….I use it for baking, dips and raita. It’s got a thick creamy consistency and makes a killer raita…the down side is that it does contain gelatine….I don’t mind it at all…but please check the labels when choosing a yoghurt. I also used the Spar yoghurt in the Semolina Cake which was featured on Sugar ‘n Spice. Here is the link: https://yudhikayumyum.com/sugar-n-spice-on-saffron-tv/semolina-cake/

Here is the recipe…

Lemon Coconut Cupcakes

Ingredients

125g Spar Butter, at room temperature…please!
125g Spar White Sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
125ml desiccated coconut
60ml Spar Double Thick Greek Yoghurt
250ml full cream milk, at room temperature
375ml cake flour
10ml baking powder
5ml bicarbonate of soda
5ml vanilla paste

For the Lemon Frosting:
125g Spar Butter – at room temperature
375ml Spar Icing Sugar
45ml fresh cream
30ml fresh lemon juice

Lemon Zest to decorate cupcakes

Here’s how:

Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees celsius.
Line a 12 mould cupcake tin with paper cases.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy – I used a Kenwood Chef for this but you can use a hand-held electric beater if you prefer.

Scrape down the bowl often and then add the lemon zest.
Add the coconut and beat for a few seconds.
Combine the yoghurt, full cream milk and vanilla paste in a jug.
Sift the dry ingredients and add them to the creamed butter.
Pour in half the milk and yoghurt and beat on low, gradually adding the remaining liquid.
Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula and continue beating until the ingredients are well combined.
Divide the batter into the 12 prepared paper cases.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when the cakes are tested.
Leave to cool slightly before placing the cakes on a wire rack.

Prepare the frosting:

Cream the butter and add the icing sugar gradually.
When the butter is very light in colour, add the fresh cream.
Continue beating for a few seconds, then add the fresh lemon juice.
Beat until the frosting is fluffy.
Scoop the frosting over the cupcakes and use a palette knife to spread.
Garnish with a few slivers of lemon zest.